Gimlet Comes Home/plot
Chapter I: A Mystery Needs Explaining Gimlet fails to turn up for a reunion dinner at the Ritz Hotel with Cub, Copper and Trapper. The three friends suspect something has gone wrong and go in search of him. Haynes, Gimlet's butler at Lorrington Hall is neither friendly nor helpful. He says he doesn't know where Gimlet is nor when he will be back. But George Vass, the gardener is more open. Gimlet had inherited a property in Scotland called Strathcarglas Lodge near Auchrory and had gone off to look it over. Vass had gone to the station to received Gimlet that day but he did not show up. The three friends make their way to Tomnarrow-on-Spey, the nearest station to Auchrory. Chapter II: First Reconnaissance They reach Auchrory and head for the Glencarglas Arms. The innkeeper, McTaggart, tells them he is full up but Cub can see he is lying. There is more that is suspicious: Smith, a hotel resident who is outside fishing, is using the wrong kind of rod and fly and is handling it inexpertly. McTaggart had also told them that a track leading off the main road goes nowhere except perhaps for an abandoned mine. Yet a boy outside tells them it leads to Strathcarglas Lodge. Finally, Cub secretly picks up a used match stalk from the floor. It's from the Ritz. Chapter III: The Reconnaissance Yields Results Leaving the inn, Copper recalls a face from his police days. McTaggart looks like Burke, a Dartmoor escapee and a wanted murderer who had disappeared in Scotland! But the priority is to find Gimlet. Using a circuitous route to avoid being seen by those at the inn, the three friends head up the track. They find an abandoned mine. The mine shaft appears to have been used recently and something or someone is down there. Copper climbs down and they haul a body up. It's Gimlet! Someone has struck him on the back of the head but he is still alive. Chapter IV: Activity in the Glen Near the mine they find a deerstalker's hut, all equipped with cookware and some provisions for hunters who are benighted or caught in bad weather. They move Gimlet there and soon he is better, fortified by some soup made from a deer which Trapper has hunted with his bow and arrow. Gimlet tells them he had stopped at the Glencarglas Arms where the innkeeper offered to drive him up to Strathcarglas Lodge. Smith had come along. Then he can't remember anything else. During the night, they hear a car driving along the track, obviously headed for the Lodge. Chapter V: Cub Goes Alone In the morning, Cub goes to the old mine to fetch some firewood. He sees a man running away from the mineshaft and then there is a massive explosion. Someone has just tried to kill Gimlet and conceal his body with a bomb! Cub discusses his suspicions with Gimlet. The innkeeper appeared to know Gimlet. When Cub had mentioned he was hoping to find Captain King, he said he hadn't seen him. If he didn't know Gimlet, it was more likely he would have asked who Captain King was. Someone had told McTaggart that Gimlet was coming. Could it be Haynes, the unfriendly butler? Gimlet says Haynes did know he had gone to Scotland, so he had lied to Cub. Moreover, Haynes was new. He had arrived a few months ago, just when Gimlet was thinking of advertising for a butler. All too convenient. Cub decides to go to the Auchrory post office to see if Haynes had sent a telegram to his accomplices here. Chapter VI: The Post Office Has Visitors Cub has no problem chatting up the postmistress at the village shop and sub-postoffice. He learns that Smith had been staying at the inn for 18 months. Not just for fishing. He buys barley to make dog biscuits. And there had indeed been a telegram from Lorrington. Sent by someone named Singer, saying that royalty was coming. Royalty ... King! But now Smith enters the shop so Cub leaves hurriedly. Outside, Smith catches up with Cub and orders him to get into his car. Cub takes advantage of a descending fog and dashes away. Smith fires but misses. Cub carries on for a while but then realises he is lost. The weather is worsening and it has begun to snow. Chapter VII: Copper Makes a Call Copper is worried that Cub is late and then there is the sound of shot. He goes to look for him and finds a cartridge case on the ground. Taking the direct approach, he enters the Glencarglas Arms and demands answers from Smith. Larry, a lorry driver in league with Smith and McTaggart, shows up and knocks Copper out with a spanner. Chapter VIII: Cub Goes Too Far Cub stumbles upon a large house which he surmises must be Gimlet's Strathcarglas Lodge. He decides to explore the house. The backdoor is unlocked and he enters the kitchen--obviously someone has been using the place. Outside four men and some ponies carrying some loads arrive. Two men enter the kitchen, forcing Cub to hide on top of a large dresser. The two men call each other Tiny and Slim. That they are up to no good is certain: Cub overhears that Slim is the one who threw the bomb into the mineshaft. Chapter IX: Hot Work in the Kitchen Cub watches as Smith and McTaggart arrive and deliver a prisoner: Copper! Copper refuses to answer any questions so Slim begins to threaten him with a knife. Cub is forced to act. He shoots out the lamp with his gun, plunging the room into darkness and yells, "Come on, get 'em, boys!" Slim and Tiny think they are being attacked in force and panic. They run out of the house. Chapter X: Gimlet Takes a Hand Gimlet and Trapper arrive. They had followed Cub's tracks. Cub thinks Slim and Tiny will be back but Gimlet is not going to be run out of his own house so he sets about getting organised. Chapter XI: Gimlet Sums Up In the morning, Gimlet sums up what they know. There is a large gang at work. The leader appears to be Slim, and Copper thinks this might be Slim Delano, a wanted American mobster. Whatever the racket is, it is big enough to entice an American gangster here and keep him tied to the spot. It involves barley and is serious enough to make murder worthwhile. But there is still not enough evidence to call in the police. Gimlet and co. search the house for any hint about what Slim's racket is but are disappointed. At least there is a plentiful supply of weapons and ammunition in the gun-room. And they will soon need them--as Gimlet says, Slim doesn't seem to be the sort of man to tolerate opposition for very long. Chapter XII: Slim Makes a Proposition Slim turns up that night with Tiny. Gimlet greets them alone in the kitchen. Slim offers money as rent for the property but Gimlet turns him down. And of course, Gimlet has made preparations. Copper, for one, has been covering them all along with his shotgun and he sees them out of the house. Slim promises, "You ain't seen the last of me." Gimlet makes the same promise in return. Chapter XIII: Slim Comes Back In the morning, Slim and his men throw a bomb into the kitchen, causing a massive explosion. Fortunately, Gimlet had anticipated this and they had moved to quarters elsewhere and no one is hurt. Cub ponders what Slim's racket is. There is a bedroom where someone, probably Burke )when he was on the run= had slept in. Cub searches it and finds a history book under the mattress. Here the answer becomes clear: one of Gimlet's ancestors had made a fortune with an illicit distillery. Whisky! As Copper says, "We were all round it and we couldn't see it...." Chapter XIV: Commando Work There was a map at the back of the book but Burke had probably torn it out. He probably still has it so the commandos make their way to the inn. Gimlet confronts Smith and McTaggart (Burke). Larry arrives and Copper gives him what he received. In the middle of the commotion, Ross, the local constable steps in. Gimlet introduces himself as the new owner of Strathcarglas Lodge. Neither Gimlet nor McTaggart want the police getting involved so both sides give their excuses. The policeman leaves and the commandos begin search for the map. Chapter XV: Gimlet Takes the Trail Cub fails to find the map but Copper is more "persuasive" with Burke and he tells him it is in his jacket lining. Larry, Smith and Burke are tied up and taken to Strathcarglas Lodge. A fourth gang member there is also taken prisoner and they are all bundled into the cellar. Gimlet and his team follow the map and find deep gully with running water at the base. The distillery is probably down there but where is the path? Chapter XVI: Cub Takes a Chance There is a slide of shale leading down the ravine. It looks gentle enough and Cub takes a chance and steps onto it and causes a landslide! He is carried by the avalanche of loose shale all the way down but fortunately ends up unhurt. Two men come out to look for the source of the noise, the light they reveal shows Cub a doorway into a building built of the same rock as the ravine. It's the distillery! Cub is spotted by Tiny who alerts the gang. Gimlet, Copper and Trapper find their way down and a shootout ensues. In the aftermath, a wounded Tiny tells Gimlet that Slim had abandoned his men and is trying to escape. Chapte XVII: The Roundup Leaving Copper and Trapper to guard the gang members, Gimlet and Cub chase after Slim. Slim manages to get to the Lodge and takes the Burke's car which Gimlet had driven up from the inn. He might have made it but rushing down the track, he meets a police car arriving. Slim attempts to pass it on the wrong side and ends up plunging into a deep ravine beside the track and dies. The policemen had been called in by Ross and they over the prisoners. It will take the police some time to go over the place. Cub asks if Gimlet plans to go back to Lorrington but Gimlet tells him there is, first of all, the matter of the missed rendezvous at the Ritz to make up for. Category:Plot summaries